Who is Old Coyote in Castlevania: Nocturne Season 2?

This article contains spoilers for Castlevania: Nocturne season 2.

In many ways, Castlevania: Nocturne Season 2 mirrors Castlevania Season 2. Season 2 of “Castlevania” is considered by many to be the best season of the seriesthat’s a big compliment. Both of them amplify the ideas, storylines and action of their debuts, deepening the main themes and increasing the screen time for the villains. And just like “Castlevania” season 2, the sophomore “Nocturne” wraps up most of the major arcs started in the first season. However, some topics are intentionally left hanging in the event of a Season 3 release.

Members of the Castlevania creative team have made it clear that they are not done yet and would like to continue working on Nocturne if Netflix approves another set of episodes. If that happens, Season 3 will likely include a mysterious dark spirit that slithers in the background of Season 2. This character never speaks or has an official name, although the vampire Olrox (Zan McClarnon) calls them Old Coyote a few times – a trickster figure in Native American folklore. Olrox also refers to them at one point as Mephistopheles, a diabolical character from the Faust legend of Old Germanic folklore.

Although this character never reveals his true nature or intentions, they appear at several key moments in the story, including one of the final shots of the Season 2 finale. So, who exactly is “Old Coyote” and what might they have in store for Castlevania: Nocturne Season 3?

Since “Castlevania” is a video game adaptationhe needed a final boss, and with Dracula being defeated in season 2, a new villain had to take over that role in season 4 to send the series off. A candidate? Death itself, voices Malcolm McDowell. Trevor Belmont (Richard Armitage) battles the Grim Reaper at the very end of the first Castlevania show, paying tribute to the character’s frequent appearances in the games. However, the Netflix version of Death is a little different. He is less an agent of some dark cosmic purpose and more a corporeal being that feeds on the life force that leaves humans when they die. Death tries to bring Dracula back to life so he can continue taking souls and “feeding” Death, but Trevor defeats him in battle by destroying his physical form. Dracula is still secretly coming back to life, but not in the way warmonger Death wanted.

Even though Death is defeated, it is clear that he would not be completely gone. If the heroes of “Castlevania” could not erase Dracula from life by simply killing his body, then surely Death would also remain in one form or another. In Season 2 of Nocturne, three of Old Coyote’s four appearances are directly related to death. They come to take the soul of Abbot Emmanuel (Richard Dormer) after Maria (Pixie Davis) kills him, they hover over Mizrak (Aaron Neal) after he is mortally wounded, and they appear behind Terry (Nastassia Kinski) as she watches the guillotine executions in Paris in the season finale.

Additionally, Old Coyote’s smoky form resembles that of Death’s skeleton, and their only non-death appearance in Nocturne is when Olrox addresses them just before destroying Emanuel’s dark spellbook.

When Olrox summons a spirit he calls Old Coyote, he seems to know the dark figure well. “I know who you are,” he says, mentioning the creature’s various names. – I know what promises you make and how tempting they are. It is understood that some of the more religious characters in the series believe that Old Coyote is the devil, as according to Olrox, they operate due to dark deals. However, Castlevania never reveals that the “devil” is real in its mythology, meaning that it is most likely a different kind of creature that various groups throughout history have attached their own folklore and beliefs to.

The biggest clue to the dark spirit’s intentions comes in that very first scene with Olrox. The vampire finds a dark book of spells that Emanuel used to operate his forge machine and create creatures of the night from human corpses. He mentions that the book is written in Enochian, an occult language from the earliest days of the world, and tells Old Coyote that neither they nor the book belong to the mortal realm. He then burns the tome.

If Old Man Coyote really is Death with a new face, they could have been supplying Emmanuel with tools and knowledge all along. This is consistent with Death’s character, as the creation of nocturnal creatures and the empowerment of Erzebet Báthory would lead to widespread death, giving Death more power.

If “Castlevania: Nocturne” gets a third season, it is likely that the series will adapt some storylines from the video game “Castlevania: Symphony of the Night”. This game prominently features Richter Belmont (Edward Blumel in the Netflix series), Maria Renard, and Alucard (James Callis in the Netflix series). It’s also the most famous and widely praised “Castlevania” game, so it makes sense for Netflix to adapt it.

Death is a big part of Symphony of the Night, so if this is indeed the true identity of the dark spirit in Nocturne, they could play some adapted arcs from the game. Even if they’re a brand new character, it’s pretty clear that the series is making them the next big baddies. In the season finale, they place a ghostly hand on Teri’s shoulder as she watches her daughter from the shadows. Terra is clearly torn between her old life and her new identity as a vampire, and she just might be conflicted enough to be Old Coyote’s tool.

“Castlevania: Nocturne” seasons 1 and 2 are now streaming on Netflix.